From Digital Cats To Countries: Exploring The Crypto-collectibles Craze

Back when our parents and grandparents were growing up, they collected things like baseball cards and Cracker Jack toys. Many of us have heard the story of folks back in the 1950’s putting a Mickey Mantle rookie card –which sells for as high as $500,000 today – in their bicycle spokes.

If you are a child of the 1980’s, there is a good chance you owned some Garbage Pail Kids. Garbage Pail Kids were collectible stickers mocking Cabbage Patch dolls (a popular toy at the time). With names like Up Chuck and Adam Bomb; the humorous cards were quite a hit in their day.

In the 1990’s small, plush stuffed animals called Beanie Babies were all the rage.

These days, thanks to the introduction of blockchain technology, a new generation of collectibles has emerged. However, unlike Garbage Pail Kids and Beanie Babies, these collectibles don’t exist in the physical realm. They only exist in their respective blockchains.

That being said, the fact that these new digital products can’t be displayed on a mantle, hasn’t stopped collectors from shelling out big bucks to obtain them.

In this article, we are going to discuss three Ethereum blockchain-based digital apps that have started something of a crypto-collectibles craze.

CryptoCelebrities

The popular Ethereum blockchain app, known as CryptoCelebrities, allows user to purchase a smart contract for a certain celebrity – or rather a digital image representing one. Think of it as owning a sort of online collectors card featuring a famous person.

Crypto Celebrities “CelebDex.” An index of the celebrities contracts with price.

There are roughly 683 digital stars available, which can be purchased with ether. Some of the celebs on the dApp include SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, current US President Donald Trump, and actor Tom Hanks.

As playful as it all sounds, certain contract can get be quite pricey. For example, Elon Musk & Vitalik Buterin, who are currently the most expensive people on the site, are going for around 124 ether each. At press time, 124 ether is worth roughly $46,872.

There is only one smart contract representing each star and to purchase a contract users are required to pay the owner 1.2 times its current value.

Last February it became the second most popular dApp on the Ethereum blockchain, though the host site is currently down with a message stating, “We’ll be back soon.”

CryptoKitties

CryptoKitties is a dApp on the Ethereum blockchain where users can buy and sell digital cats.

“CryptoKitties is a game centered around breedable, collectible, and oh-so-adorable creatures we call CryptoKitties! Each cat is one-of-a-kind and 100% owned by you; it cannot be replicated, taken away, or destroyed.”

Users can choose from a variety of different cats to purchase, each with their own unique features.

For those wondering how much a person would be willing to pay for one these digital felines – the answers may come as quite a shock.

Last December, it was reported that a single cat sold for 250 ether, which at the time of purchase was worth around $113,000. The very same month, The Verge claimed that a 30-year-old Texas-based entrepreneur made roughly $42,000 trading CryptoKitties.

It’s clear that there are some folks out there willing to pay real money for fake cats.

For those who would like to learn more about CryptoKitties, check out our ICO or NO special covering these popular crypto-collectibles.

CryptoCountries

For those who have ever dreamed of being emperor of the United States or any other country in the known world – there’s the dApp CryptoCountries.

“Be the emperor of the world and own Countries such as The United States, China or Thailand as Smart Contracts on the Ethereum Blockchain. CryptoCountries is an interactive game that lets anyone buy and own countries as Smart Contracts on the Ethereum Blockchain. As soon as you acquire a country, you take ownership of that nation, and it automatically increases in price.”

Users who wish to claim a territory can expect to pay double the amount the previous owner purchased the country for. If another player is willing to pay double, the current owner has no say in the transaction and must sell their country.

Last February, Japan (the most expensive country at the time) sold for 709 ether. 709 ether is worth about $271,500 at the moment.

With the ability to double one’s money with every transaction, CryptoCountries offers players a chance to make a very nice profit on their lands.

While it remains to be seen which of these crypto-collectibles are here to stay and which are simply fads – one thing is certain – there are going to at least a few crypto-hobbyists who will continue to make some good money along the way.

This article was written by Jacques Martin, a contributor to our site. For more of his work, including topics like price predictions, check them out here!

For more information on Ethereum, head over to our resource guide, which links to other great dApps running on their blockchain!

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